Hiding Behind his Silver Tongue
by Elven-English-Major
Summary: Erestor is hiding. Glorfindel Knows it. But no one else -really- believes him.
1. Chapter 1

** Hey guys. :) I'm here to give something new a try...I was inspired with this when someone said that my version of Erestor was very different, over in the "Now he Appears" universe...so I thought...what if Erestor was COMPLETELY different then usual on the outside, but the same as always on the inside? I came up with Dark Erestor. I hope y'all enjoy, obviously it's seriously A/U :) I own nothing except a few random elves who are momentary at best =), and I hope you enjoy...not sure of pairings yet, though Erestor can get naughty :P so there may be multiples...ENJOY. **

It was early morning, I had been awake for a good hour or so already, it was my custom to go for an early morning swim on fine summer's mornings. It wakes me up and makes me ready for my day. That morning had been a little bit colder then usual, so I was dressed and on my way to breakfast earlier then normal.

My normal path took me by Lord Elrond's office as he had a tendency to forget that it _was_ breakfast time and that meant it was time to eat. It was our custom that I would peek my head in to see what he was up to.

This morning however, I heard voices on the other side of the door, Elrond's, and another male. Cool, calm, quiet, controlled and strange, even from behind the door that voice gave me a clear vision of it's owner. Elrond was telling him all about the running of Rivendell, and how things were done, where places were, what things needed to be done, and it seemed almost as if he was dictating duties to someone.

I knew that part of the reason that Galadriel and Celeborn...Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn...had come, was to give Elrond some extra staff members that they thought would benefit and flourish more in Rivendell then they would have the opportunity to in Loth Lorien...perhaps this was one of those men...Though I didn't know the nature of these people, I didn't assume they were important enough to be in counsel with Lord Elrond himself...

My musings were interrupted when that cool voice rose in volume and said, "Lord Elrond, is it customary for your people, particularly, your warriors, to lurk outside doors listening to conversations?"

My blood froze, and my hair seemed to stand on end and I gulped softly as I heard Elrond rise from his chair and cross the room, his customary three steps, the turn of the knob and I flashed the largest grin I could on my face "Morning!" I said, heartily, to cover my odd waves of nervousness.

Elrond laughed, "Glorfindel, I should have expected you, come in and meet my newest counselor" he said and pulled open the door, and the elf I saw, made me afraid. Something that I had so rarely felt before in full force.

"Hello, Seneschal..." I began but he nodded once.

"Glorfindel, leader of the army of Imladris, captain of the guard, royal guard. Good morning" he returned, in the same calm, nearly emotionless, totally level voice, his dark eyes levelled on my face, he didn't even blink once.

"Wow...a scholar who does his research, shocking" I couldn't help but bait him...counselor winding was one of my favourite hobbies, indulged by Elrond in spite of his amused glare.

"Then you must have very stupid scholar's" he shot back, without the slightest bit of humour in his voice.

My lips worked apart for half a moment as I floundered for something to say, saved at last by Elrond who held up his hands. "Galadriel thinks that Erestor would flourish here, she believes, and I do as well, that he would be able to replace Calandrion at length" he explained.

For some reason that amped up the level of fear coursing my veins, _this_ else as chief counselor? Why should that fill me with this kind of emotion? Still he was staring at me without blinking but...that was not something I really thought should make me feel this way.

"Well, that would be fantastic, poor old Calandrion might actually have hope of retirement and sailing" I said, trying to keep the teasing joviality in my tone.

"Indeed...I do not think I will be to breakfast right away, Glorfindel, but perhaps we will see you there later though, as I would like to have Counselor Erestor set up as soon as quickly"

Erestor. That name...would stick with me for all of eternity, simply for the...odd flash of sharp steel I saw in his eyes when Elrond told me of his name.

"Erestor." I repeated, seeing that alarmed flash again. I nodded and we exchanged a look that I don't even think I understood.

Then I smiled broadly once again, bowed quickly and swept out, closing the door a sigh of relief escaped me that I didn't know existed, and I hurried as fast as I could to the great hall.

I sat down with my fellows at out usual table and my lieutenant looked at me with a half lifted brow "You look as if you've seen another balrog"

"Or something equally as frightening" Elrohir teased, lightly as he sat beside me.

I looked at them all. "Have you met the newest counselor yet?" I asked, quickly, trying to be casual.

"No...but Ada thinks he will be the largest asset he's had in a while" Elladan replied, munching on some piece of fruit or another.

"hmm" I replied, thoughtfully. Wondering why some part of my mind was suggesting that this strange elf must be a spy...or something.

"What about him?" my lieutenant asked after a long moment of my silence.

"He's...odd" I managed, after a moment.

"He's an advisor...Glorfindel, they're chronically odd" he replied with a shrug of one shoulder.

"not like that." I said, irritatedly.

"I mean, he hasn't made any grand orations which is sort of odd for a counselor but he's only been here for a couple of days, so I guess that might come." he continued onward.

I frowned, not any of these people were getting it and I sighed, tearing into a piece of toast I ignored them for the most part, and they wrote it off as a passing bad mood from a usually jocular warrior.

Several days passed and I got more and more irritated by each passing day, wishing to the world that this would end soon, each day I saw him, I saw more in him that I grew to distrust. A flash of a look in his eyes, a slight twitch to his hands at odd intervals, his tendency not to blink. He dressed in tight fitting black robes, that seemed like they were meant to show off what he wanted, but to hide at the same time. He was small, thin, lean, but beautiful regardless. He had perfect pale skin, dark eyes, that were rimmed ever so slightly with purple and blue bruisedness. His lips were a deep bruised pinkish plum colour, and he was more then graceful. But he always felt like he was...hiding, like he was putting on a show, letting people see what they wanted to see, but no one saw that he was hiding at all.

I knew it, and I saw it, but no one else seemed to, and it grew frustrating, adding to my irritation. Everyone else saw him as a counselor, cold and capable in the meeting rooms, the library, the debates in the hall of fire at night. He almost always won the debates proving his worth and ability as a counselor. But it wasn't terribly out of the ordinary for one...and because of his skill it won him admiration and respect, jealousy certainly but...people admired him more for it...and that bothered me.

Everyone else had taken to teasing me about my predilection towards hatred for him. I tried to take it with a smile and a shrug but I spent too much time trying to convince them it was true...and then one night they saw, we all saw a glimpse of something that I knew had always been there.

Elrohir, my lieutenant and I were headed towards the hall of fire, intent on a drink and some time to unwind before the former two headed off on a border patrol, and I committed myself to a week of early morning meetings.

As we walked through the gardens we heard a voice, it was one of the younger trainee's. That token trainee-who's father is a warrior, who's grandfather is a warrior...who believes it will happen for him in the blink of an eye. He wasn't even that good, but I was willing to see him through his training because he had enough skill to make it...eventually. But his rather noble connections-however remote- gave him that youthful attitude of deserving anything he wanted. Another thing I was willing to put up with as long as it wasn't directed towards me.

It was my policy not to interfere with the actions of the young trainee's so long as they weren't threatening the dignity of my troops or Imladris as a whole...their antics were no more irritating then the pranks My Lord's sons had played in _their_ youth. They pestered young scribes, got drunk and made fools of themselves with young women and men. Took lovers as some men change shirts, but that never bothered me.

This time was no different at first, and as we heard his words, we shared a silent laugh and some pity for the poor squire or messenger or house attendant who had been trapped by the prideful elfling. "I think, that your being so new to Imladris must be hard for you, counselor" he was saying.

My heart froze, and I dared to edge closer and peek around the edge of a bush to see what was going on.

My heart dropped now completely, he had Erestor, the new counselor, backed up against a stone statue, one hand braced beside his head above his shoulder, the other teasing up his arm.

I opened my mouth to interrupt as Elrohir and my lieutenant looked as well, watching with amusement. They didn't seem to feel the static electrical feeling that swept around the clearing.

We saw Erestor act then, he grabbed the young elf's wrist and dragged him closer to whisper in his ear, though we could hear every whispered word with erotic clarity. "two things, you should know, young-ling" he hissed. The tip of his pink tongue scraped along the full, pointed length of the younger's ear as he finished speaking. His long, ink stained fingers worked their way down, to disappear into the young man's breeches.

"The...th...the first?" he stuttered out, his own hand shooting out for Erestor's shoulder, though Erestor ducked hard so they reversed positions and the young man was slammed, back first against the statue. His hidden hand moving, constantly.

"I am too old for you" Erestor hissed, as he blew cold air over his wet ear, laving his tongue down his ear again and then down his neck, stopping to nip, sharply, midway up.

Every move was bang on, Erestor was talented, that damned tongue appeared one more time and I couldn't stop the shudder up my spine, and I knew my companions were no better off. The cold hard edge in Erestor's voice made it somehow worse and I knew that we all three wished to be under his mouth, so talented in so many arena's.

The young trainee whimpered in undisguised pleasure and he pressed himself hard to Erestor's body, encouraging the movement of the unending hand.

"The second?" he whimpered after a moment.

I licked my lips and I could feel Elrohir breathing in short, sharp, gasps as my lieutenant pressed his hand to his mouth to keep his own breaths inside.

Erestor wrapped his free hand around the young elf's throat and squeezed sharply, throwing him hard against the statue as his hidden hand worked harder.

The trainee choked and gasped for breath and I felt like I should move, I should help, but as his head spasmed backwards and his hands clenched on Erestor's shoulders, I could tell, that the tiny little sounds he managed to make, were in pleasure and so I refrained as best I could. "The second, and most important, that you should spread to your friends," with every clause he squeezed both his hands in rhythmic patterns. "Is that You. Couldn't. Handle. Me." Erestor snarled in his young face.

He tightened both of his grips, his visible knuckles going white, belying to the slackjawed three of us voyeurs the delightful pressure that young elf must be experiencing. Moments later, the arching of his back and the wild twitching of all of his limbs signaled to us the inevitable, nigh unbelievable release. The release so powerful he gasped once and slumped in Erestor's grip.

Erestor himself, snorted once with what seemed to be disgust, and simultaneously, he dropped the slack, unconscious body to the ground and slid his hand back to view.

He bent gracefully to the ground and swiped his hand three times through the wet grass. Rising slowly, with a soft, tantalizing roll of his hips he pulled out a handkerchief and began to wipe his fingers clean. Unknowingly (or as I suspected, quite knowingly) he was torturing the three of us as he carefully wiped each, long, perfect, finger one after the other, returning the digits to their perfect condition.

Each of us couldn't look away, and I couldn't help but wonder if the other two felt as guilty and dirty as I did. But the thrill charging from every nerve ending in my body was worth every bit of it.

His cleaning task done, he bent to a nearby bench, retrieved some papers, a quill and a bottle of ink, fixed it in his arms and walked away, not even bothering to shoot another glance at the young trainee.

I looked at the other two, and they looked back at me-their eyes said it all, they believed me now...whether they believed it all wasn't my problem...but now they had to admit he wasn't a counselor the same as any other.


	2. Confrontation

**Hey guys...enjoy this update—sorry for the delays :) I own nothing, it's all Tolkien's. Thank you so much for your support/reviews :) Glorfindel uses a BAD word ()_() baaack button if you don't like :D ENJOY.**

The night lost most of its merriness after that-I knew that as soon as we made it to the hall. Elrohir collapsed into his seat, his usually sparkling grey eyes fixed on his twin brother as 'Dan romped around the room, having general fun with some of the other younger soldiers. I couldn't help but realize that they were so young and care free-in spite of their determination to face the ugliness our world offers. A sort of disgusted anger sparked in my soul as I realized the young soldier outside...no longer care free would never lark with them again.

However distorted my thoughts may be now, at the time they seemed so strong, so pure, so...meaningful. I thought of him, laying, unconscious and unmoving in the grass. Elrohir had checked on him of course, had checked his health and ascertained that he would be perfectly fine-that really, he was nothing more then momentarily unconscious...but somehow that did not ease my mind.

To heighten my agitation, naught but a few moments had passed and I heard my lieutenant gasp sharply and his whole body tensed. I looked up from my examination of the wood grain on the long table and saw with a flash of anger and...lust...that the very councilor we had witnessed not one hour ago stride into the room as if nothing had changed.

He poured himself a single glass of wine, and I glared at the glass as he lifted it delicately from where it had previously stood, innocent, untainted on the surface of the refreshment table and felt the same disgust welling in my throat, bile with it, as I realized it's crystalline clearness would no longer be that same clear beauty it had once maintained. Like the young soldier, it was tainted now.

I wondered what sort of vileness that this hideous creature could offer to the glass. Suddenly I felt such anger flushing through me that I stood to my feet. I had to do something, his behaviour had been reprehensible and could not go unpunished. Marching across the room, disgust on my face I reached out and grabbed his shoulder, even as he opened his mouth to speak to Elrond. "Councilor. A word." was all I could growl out.

He lifted his brow, half way up, imitating Elrond, and that sent another surge of inexplicable irritation through my soul. "Very well, Seneschal. But you could be..."

I refused to engage him in that battle and grabbed him harshly by the wrist, dragging him out of the hall with nothing but a curt nod at Lord Elrond. He was otherwise silent as I dragged him, following me along like some...obedient puppy, until I yanked him forward, hard, and his wine spilled over his wrist. "Watch yourself. Seneschal. I am not some mongrel cur." he hissed.

I whipped around. "Are you not?" I bit back.

"Excuse me?" he said, softly, his voice nearly emotionless, but the undercurrent of icy fury that rode just underneath his words was unmistakable.

"I saw, what you did..." I began but his derisive snort stopped me short.

"I thought someone might have been watching." then he turned those eyes on me, and to me, they were black as night.

"Did you not think the boy enjoyed himself?" he asked, and the left hand side of his lip lifted into a smirk.

I opened my mouth and my own lips curled into a sneer. "I don't think being half choked to death could possibly be enjoyable."

His brow quirked once and he narrowed his eyes ever so slightly as with eerie slowness, the smirk left his face emotionless again. "I simply showed him a much more...explosive end to his explorations" he said in a tone that somehow filled me with...dread.

"By stealing his breath?" I could only push the issue, reminding him of the cruelty of his actions.

His dark eyes glittered with heat and lust and icy control, and his smirk touched his lips just ever so slightly before falling away again. "Yes" was the simple reply, in spite of the complex web in his eyes.

"You attacked him" I replied, feeling...triumph over him, at last..now I could put him in his place, remind him he was a councilor once and for all.

Erestor quirked a brow and drained the wine cup before next speaking. "So my being grabbed from my seat-minding my own business before so I must say- and slammed unceremoniously into a statue means..." he left it hanging, his eyes pinned on mine, unblinking, straight, cold, strict, emotionless.

I gulped, very slightly. "You didn't seem to mind" I spat back, unsure of myself once again.

His jaw tightened, very sharply, and he proudly reared his chin, his eyes shooting hard metal daggers in my direction, weapons I didn't know how to dodge.

"Number one," he began and I couldn't help but passively note his counting...again. His voice, as he spoke, rang through the clearing as clear as any sword as it is pulled from it's sheathe and I pressed my lips hard, together as I prepared for an onslaught of a kind I had never faced. "You are in no position to question or judge the things a scholar must do to protect himself from a warrior"

"Number two" he hissed, getting closer to me in small steps, lifting the glass in his hand, twirling it slightly in his grip as he spoke-though his eyes never left mind. "I gave to him, in the end, precisely what he came looking for, just not in the same way he expected." His final word brought that half quirked lip movement to his lips again and then he curled his lip up in a sneer. "He came to me for a kiss...and I gave him something much, much better" at this point, his breath blew across my chin-he only reached my chin-and he tightened his jaw impossibly tight.

I gulped and I didn't speak...I didn't really have an argument. He had a point. For if Erestor had not taken charge the same fate (though much less violent) would probably have been his, and the dark ling really had just been defending himself.

"That does not excuse the extent to which you took it." I said, attempting not to wince at the lameness of my own answer.

He snorted again. "Again I remind you, he did not seem to complain"

I tightened my jaw. "As if you gave him time to complain" I shot back.

He lifted his brow, the only signs of any emotion, I swear. "Number three. You have no right to question, or judge my methods. My treatment of my own conquests deserves the same privacy and confidentiality as the conquests of any of your soldiers. Particularly when they enjoy it..." he paused, and leaned forward, the hot puffs of breath on my neck and chin very deliberate, hot on my flesh and the hints of his maddeningly distracting tongue drove me to a dark place in my mind, I gulped thickly again but couldn't force myself to say anything, or look or step away.

"or when _you_ have not tried it" he hissed softly as he himself stepped away, holding the wine glass aloft in his hand, he tilted his head and a look of mocking and ..almost...hurt...came into his eyes. "Besides, I gave him plenty of time to decline before you showed up, oh great protector of _all_ of Imladris." he said, pointedly as he lifted the glass he crushed it in his fist and threw it to the ground. "So do not speak to me of what is appropriate or not" he snarled.

My jaw almost dropped and I know my eyes widened, the insult hit home and I tightened my jaw again, narrowing my eyes. In a voice that I tried (and failed) to devoid of emotions I said "Forgive me councilor for my...misjudgments. However, in the future, try not to do so much harm to my soldiers" was all I could manage to get out as I turned away, and marched with purpose towards the barracks.

In my rooms I seethed. I glared at the door and suddenly thought of a thousand insults I could hurl at him...all of them so weak and un-compelling compared to his sharp gilded tongue. In anger I marched across my room to stand in front of my mirror, rearing my chin, puffing my chest, flexing my arms then I shook my head at the absurdity of it and turned abruptly away. Taking two, swift, steps away I threw myself into a chair. But then his comments came to mind again.

How dare he suggest I didn't have an interest in protecting him. I didn't care for him of course, but that didn't mean I wouldn't protect him if I needed to. How dare he suggest I didn't care for the citizens of Imladris. "That two-timing, cruel, orc of a thing" I suddenly growled, I propelled myself out of my chair and threw open my door, marching with all speed down the hall.

There was one weapon I could draw on him that he couldn't deflect, one thing I had that he surely didn't, one thing that I could invoke that he couldn't. Elrond would understand my position. Elrond would help me.

…

"Jealous? Me?" I snarled, upon returning to my chambers and slamming the door shut behind me.

"What does he have that I have to be jealous of?" I asked, not even wanting to confront the second suggestion Elrond had for me...which of course made me think on it.

"How could I –EVER- have affection for an elf. Like. That? He disgusts me, the notion is...it...it is unthinkable." I snarled to the ceiling and yanking my clothes off I threw myself on the bed.

"What a...I hate you. Erestor. I hate you" I managed as I rolled over, and clenched my pillow to my powerful chest, not even sure what I was feeling...for the second time in my second life...I felt as if I didn't know what to do...I felt weak and helpless. I wanted so badly for someone to come to me, to tell me I wasn't crazy...to tell me that...something made sense, that I wasn't just making this up. I wanted some body to tell me what was up and what was down, what was lies and what was truth. But no one would believe me...and when I tried to reach out I was told those foolish notions by a brain washed, love struck, half-elven lore-master. Obviously he would come down on the side of councilor's. Finding some solace in this ever-so-slightly fallacious thought, I forced my eyes to unfocus, and stared at the lamp next to my bedside until my mind granted me peace and let me fall to sleep.

Then passed 7 blissful councilor free days...My patrol gave me freedom, took away the pain I felt in my heart, took away the confusion and the hurt. My patrol was only 6 days, but I got 7 days of freedom because the councilor was locked away in a room working on something or another. The same with Lord Elrond, so with that extra day I spent thinking...and I had found that being in the city only darkened my thoughts again.

His damned name was on the lips of almost everyone I spoke to or listened to. My soldiers told me of his exploits-how he had shown Lindir a new use for his piano stool, how Lindir had been unable to walk or sing properly for 2 days, but had apparently enjoyed every second of it. 4 of my soldiers had fallen prey to his lustful charms and spoke of his talented tongue and his careful, long white fingers. There were whispers of others-most of them were ludicrous, Lord Elrond himself for example, was one story that was passed 'round quite a bit. But I knew that Elrond preferred females, and would never lower himself to sleeping with such a promiscuous, disgusting creature.

At last I had to speak to Elrond again, I needed to know for sure. I told myself it was because I needed to know if the rumours were true about he and the Councilor, but also because I wanted to talk to him about how it would appear for Imladris if he was running around like such a little...slut.

Some time later I took to the woods, I couldn't get him out of my head-even when I tried everything I knew of and solitude seemed at this moment, to be the only solution. Aside from the rumours of his sexual antics, people seemed oddly drawn to him. He did his job without any real outward emotion and yet people still liked him, they were drawn to his shrewd logic and sharp, quick, task management. But I could not understand why no one else saw that hidden something...that glittering in his eyes that belied the strange flashes of hurt, fury, and other deep emotions that everyone seemed to ignore or just...didn't see. Why on earth...was -I- the only one who was able to see that?

Suddenly my head snapped up, I was sure I had heard something in the woods behind me, but as I listened closer and looked very closely I could see nothing, I heard nothing further and passed it off as just my disturbed state of being. Sighing heavily I shook my head and moved on, I had only taken about six steps when I heard it again-the softest ruffling...as if...fabric was rustling against the surrounding trees. I stopped in my tracks and listened, harder to the world around me. I heard nothing...again. I shook my head and lifted my foot to take another step when suddenly an arm laced around my neck from behind and with a lanky sort of strength it hauled me back and slammed me into a tree behind me, all before I had the chance to respond.

I raised my left arm to break this person's grip, but I froze as I saw these icy brown eyes pinned on me. His arm pressed across my shoulders and his chest rose and fell with angry breaths. "IF you have a problem. Seneschal. YOU COME TO ME" He roared in my face. "You come to me. As a man. As the Balrog slayer YOU ARE." he continued, his breathing coming more and more ragged. Though he was yelling, his tone was low and angry-all my senses as both a warrior and as an elf told me that I was in real danger.

I raised my right arm to shove him off but he released me then and took a step back, arms tightly across his bony chest. "My concerns would have been met with derision and excuses" I shot back, straightening both my hair and collar.

He noted my words with a flash of condescension, before replying simply "how do you know?"

His words resounded in the woods...because...I didn't know...because...I had nothing to say...again. "You are an orator, Councilor," I emphasized his title. "how could -I-? A simple warrior, make any winning argument against you? Why would I bother to try to get a word in edge wise when nothing I say or do has any knowledge or wisdom in it?" I threw back, full of anger-for reasons I couldn't place...reasons I didn't want to try and place.

For half a moment, that hidden hurt flashed in his eyes and he grit his teeth sharply. But after that moment he turned to ice again, shrugged his shoulders, and raised his eyes to mine, again. "Then at last we come to the root of it" he growled-his voice alone retained it's emotional turmoil.

"The root of what?" I asked, suddenly feeling an electric tension in the whole clearing.

"Your problems" he returned, his voice dripping acid, and I knew his next words would sting, but I never could imagine how much.

"My problems?"

"Yes."

"And they are?"

"It is not your skills as a protector, but your bravery, that must be called into question"


End file.
